On Wall-E and dependency

Posted by nurseinbox under cultureComments Off on On Wall-E and dependency

I was standing in line at the bank the other day and noticed a TV for sale. Actually, this unit has been up on the counter playing for most of a year. Anyways, there was the video of Wall-E playing and I had to note a good representation that the movie made of the people in their situation. Everyone had their own floating chairs where everything was catered and all were overweight. In one scene, an kid drops a toy and cries until a handy robot comes by and picks up the item. The captain receives information that the planet now has green plans again and it is time to return. The movie then plays a bit of Space Odyssey with the computer trying to hamper the captain’s efforts. Once the captain is triumphant, the ship journeys back to earth. The movie ends with the craft landed and ramp open with people coming out. Now comes my question. How do these pampered overweight spoiled individuals handle the tough climate residing where they landed? The planet didn’t fix itself while they were gone. As the story goes, Wall-e was to do trash compaction and clean up all the excess debris. All that was still present upon landing and the movie ended before dealing with the changes required by the passengers to adapt to the new environment where industry and reward postponement would be required for survival.

On watching this, it occurred to me that the same transition would be required by individuals coming out of welfare after multiple generations, or losing their retirement promised by the government for the past 80 years. That transition is not for the faint of heart, or impulsive non-planning types. It is reserved for those taking the long hard road who are willing to suffer at the moment for a future reward. It is for those who see the future needs and set aside resources for that which is anticipated. Retirement used to be the common plan of everyone who worked. As I understand the old single room classes, the teachers were expected to save 10% of their income for a retirement. The individual was responsible and responsibility is the Siamese-twin of freedom. How do we return to that place?